Kemmerer City Administrator Brian Muir says there is a buyer for JCPenney and should keep mother store local and is working out a way to receive a statue of the founder.

He says corporate headquarters is moving to a smaller space to cut some costs near Plano, Texas. In the original headquarters there was a JCPenney statue. The new buyer was not able to take that to the new location.

“So they actually offered to donate, because we have such a good heritage here, they donated it to the city of Kemmerer,” Muir said. “Our city council and mayor approved our ability to receive that.”

He says it will cost a few thousand dollars to have it taken down and transported to the area. The local government is asking for contributions for the public if anyone is interested in donating to help in that process. He also says the city is still trying to determine where it will put the statue.

“It’s such a great thing for our community to be able to keep that,” Muir said. “We’re just really excited about having the opportunity to receive that JCPenney statue.”

He says there will be some plaques coming along with it about the history of JCPenney and it starting in Kemmerer. He also says there may be people who work for the company that may want to come and see this statue. This may help bring in some tourism.

Muir says it sounds like many of the profitable areas of the company will remain in business.

“To keep the brand, keep the heritage of the business going,” Muir said. “It’s a competitive environment and they are adapting to the change.”

He did not give a timetable on when the statue may get to Kemmerer, but the city is trying to work out all of it as soon as it can.